Young people often think they are invincible, but the reality is that accidents can and do happen even to students in high school or in college. In fact, according to Disability Can Happen, just over one out of every four people who is 20-years-old today will become disabled before he retires. 
If you are in high school or in college and you become disabled, you may be unable to work for a living and may face significant financial challenges as a result. Student accidents can lead to devastating injuries, and some young people will also become sick with illnesses that have a lasting impact on their future. Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP can help young people who are disabled to understand their options.
Options for Disabled High School and College Students
When you are in high school or college and you become disabled, it is very unlikely that you will have private disability insurance available to you. According to Bank Rate, even few adults have private disability policies, and the premiums for coverage can total around $2,200 per year.
Without private disability insurance, there are a few other possible sources you can turn to provide income if your disabling condition or illness makes it impossible for you to graduate, get a job and become self-supporting.
If your disabling injury happened while you were working a summer job, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation disability benefits. As the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports, around 250,000 young workers get hurt on-the-job each year. Some of these injuries can be serious and can last a lifetime. Unfortunately, disability payments you receive through workers’ compensation are based on your average income at the time of injury. These benefits will not sustain you or provide you with the income you need over the course of your life if you become disabled in high school or college.
If you were hurt in a motor vehicle collision or as a result of someone’s negligence, then you may make a claim for compensation and hopefully recover money that you can use to support yourself despite your injuries. However, if you were a student at the time of the accident, it can be difficult to calculate an appropriate amount of compensation for lost wages.
For those who became sick or who suffered an injury but do not have a negligence claim, these options do not exist. The only choice may be to make a claim with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to receive disability benefits.
Some young people who are injured before age 22 may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits based on their parent’s work record. Adult child benefits provide a larger amount of compensation than Supplemental Security Income (SSI). For those who do not qualify for SSDI, however, then SSI benefits may be your only option for receiving the money you need if a disability in your youth makes you unable to work over the course of your life.
Qualifying for benefits can be difficult, since the majority of applications for benefits are denied by the Social Security Administration. An experienced attorney can help.
If you have suffered a disability in New York, contact the Law Offices of Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP today by calling (800) 692-3717 or by visiting http://www.workerslaw.com.